1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to microcentrifuge tube openers, and more particularly a microcentrifuge tube opener attachable to or integrated with a pipettor.
2. Background Art
A microcentrifuge tube is generally a small container often used in medical and science laboratories to hold and control fluids. The tube has an opening on one end of the container and a cap to seal the opening to, in turn, prevent the contents of the container from either leaking to the outside environment or being contaminated by the outside environment. The cap is commonly either a snap cap or screw cap. As is known in the art, the snap cap often has a tab which projects beyond the outer perimeter of the opening of the container, an inner portion shaped to seal the opening, and a connecting strip which acts as a hinge between the cap and the container. A tube is commonly filled by a pipettor, which is comprised of a plunger, a shaft and a handle and is used to draw up or dispense the fluids or liquids from and into the microcentrifuge tubes.
Because of the need to tightly seal the tubes from the outside environment, it is often difficult to open the cap of a tube causing fatigue to an individual when opening a tube by hand. The opening of a tube is further complicated due to the relatively small size of the tube, especially in reference to an individual's hand, which can lead to an individual's hand coming into inadvertent contact with the contents of the tube. Accordingly, various types of tube openers have been developed to ease an individuals opening of a tube and diminish the opportunity of contamination. Typical tube openers are shown in Warburg, U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,78 and DeVaughn, U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,551. While these types of openers may ease the process of opening the microcentrifuge tubes and help prevent possible contamination, they are often not used because the time and effort required to use the standard opener is not outweighed by the benefits from its use.
Because the standard openers are themselves small devices, they are often lost among the laboratories' benches. Once found, in order to use the opener the individual must 1) put down the pipettor; 2) pick up the opener; 3) open the tube; 4) put down the opener; 5) pick up the pipettor; and then 6) use the pipettor to dispense the fluid. The number of steps required to use such openers in combination with the vast number of tubes opened in a day by technicians means that individuals do not waste their time and effort in using such openers, when not required for other reasons, preferring to simply use their hands. Under circumstances where use of such tube openers are required, efficiency may suffer.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to develop a microcentrifuge opener that will be used by individuals.
It is further an object of the present invention to develop a microcentrifuge opener that is capable of being used without the need to put down the pipettor being used to dispense fluids into or out of the tube.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in light of the present specification and drawings.